I have recently watched a documentary titled Blackfish which details how killer whales were first captured and ended up in visitor attractions such as Seaworld, and how their confinement has led to a number of incidents where trainers have been injured or killed.

If you haven't seen the documentary, I would recommend watching it, its a very powerful story and shows how Seaworld have protected the whales when incidents occur in order to keep the shows running and retain the whales in captivity for the sole purposes of breeding more captive whales and making money from selling tickets to the shows.

I only watched the documentary a couple of days ago, but haven't been able to get it off my mind. There is a campaign running at the moment to free one of the Whales in captivity at Seaworld called Tilikum. He has been in captivity since he was 2, and I personally feel that he deserves to live out his days in peace.

Lower emissions 90% ASAP or in 9 years, lower population by half or less ASAP.Is it that ARs stick their heads in the sand about humans causing an 85%+ Extinction Level Event from our emissions and gross overpopulation? From the article;"Emissions need to peak and decline by 2020 to have a chance at keeping global temperature rise to less than 2.0 degrees C, according to the Emissions Gap Report 2013, involving 44 scientific groups in 17 countries and coordinated by the U.N. Environment Programme "It is too bad that 2*C is well past the Arctic Tundra methane self release (positive feedback loop) tipping point.........

_________________"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

I have recently watched a documentary titled Blackfish which details how killer whales were first captured and ended up in visitor attractions such as Seaworld, and how their confinement has led to a number of incidents where trainers have been injured or killed.

If you haven't seen the documentary, I would recommend watching it, its a very powerful story and shows how Seaworld have protected the whales when incidents occur in order to keep the shows running and retain the whales in captivity for the sole purposes of breeding more captive whales and making money from selling tickets to the shows.

I only watched the documentary a couple of days ago, but haven't been able to get it off my mind. There is a campaign running at the moment to free one of the Whales in captivity at Seaworld called Tilikum. He has been in captivity since he was 2, and I personally feel that he deserves to live out his days in peace.

Of course .... most of us see that these animals have been captured and used for profit. It's an ugly business. We never, ever captured them for their own well being. We DID, however, make them a commodity. They had no say in it. We clearly made them a business.

Last edited by animal-friendly on Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

Coincidently, I watched this documentary last night. Indeed, it is shocking the fact that Seaworld always tried to hide the real truth about past attack to trainers even though the lives of those were in risk.

They are wild animals. When you deal directly with wild animals in captivity, bad sh!+ happens eventually, and these aren't vipers that will simply nip your hand.

If a couple of whales in captivity tugs at your heartstrings, you should learn what real habitat destruction will do. Putting them back where you think they belong won't make a hill of beans difference and could, in all likelihood, be dangerous for the whales themselves. No need to be stupid about it.

After a rather lengthy FB commentary with a friend, he suggested that I watch Blackfish and get back with him. I've never been one to go out of my way to "get back" with someone when they can't make a rational argument. I made that abundantly clear, which only seemed to tick them off more. Oh well.

Fast forward to last night. I'm perusing Netflix and lo and behold, Blackfish is avaialble. I couldn't find anything else I liked at the time. The show starts off arguing how morally indefensible it is how we wrangle wild orcas in an effort to get them into water parks. Species A exploits species B for the benefit of A. Okay. That is obviously wrong as we never, ever, witness this happening anywhere else in nature [/sarcasm]. Anyway, this part of the film was relatively short and it jumped on the aquarium bandwagon. There were little bits and pieces of how allegedly inhumane captivity is, but the overarching theme was trainer safety. Several former trainers were presented that acted as if they did not realize (at the time they were trainers) just how dangerous diving into a pool with a wild orca can be. Really? I've been to SeaWorld a couple of times now. The first time I went, I was 5 and I remember thinking the same thing I do when I go to a circus--these folks are brave no matter how conditioned the animals may be. It is a risk I would never personally take nor would I encourage it of others. I was struck at the naivety of those presented in the show. One is led the whole while to think there is some sort of SeaWorld conspiracy. I wasn't impressed.

Lower emissions 90% ASAP or in 9 years, lower population by half or less ASAP.Is it that ARs stick their heads in the sand about humans causing an 85%+ Extinction Level Event from our emissions and gross overpopulation?

The lowering of emissions and the treatment of animals are in the same camp. if we can do one, we can do the other. You probably won't understand this Johhny E. But then again, you might.

The source which recognises the need to reduce emissions is the same source which recognizes the need to care and protect for life in general. It's called stewardship. This is what animal 'rights' people are also getting at. It's the same.

The other side of the coin is the use of the profits from these places to rescue and rehabilitate injured species. Seaworld San Diego, for example, has such a rehabilitation facility.

...a side completely ignored in Blackfish...either that or I missed it when I went to the bathroom. I'm sure if it were there, oh, the insanity of making a profit. How dare they.

Blackfish wasn't this or that or in other words there was no flip side of the coin since it presented both this and that on the only side of the coin there was. Completely transparent.

I'm amazed at the power it had to rattle the cages of the industry as there have been so many films made that have been 'exposes' of quite horrific treatments of animals in general. For some reason, this one landed hard on many and has actually affected change. It has spread the information very wide.

For some reason, some films just tend to touch a nerve. This one, Blackfish, is an example.

The other side of the coin is the use of the profits from these places to rescue and rehabilitate injured species. Seaworld San Diego, for example, has such a rehabilitation facility.

...a side completely ignored in Blackfish...either that or I missed it when I went to the bathroom. I'm sure if it were there, oh, the insanity of making a profit. How dare they.

Blackfish wasn't this or that or in other words there was no flip side of the coin since it presented both this and that on the only side of the coin there was. Completely transparent.

I'm amazed at the power it had to rattle the cages of the industry as there have been so many films made that have been 'exposes' of quite horrific treatments of animals in general. For some reason, this one landed hard on many and has actually affected change. It has spread the information very wide.

For some reason, some films just tend to touch a nerve. This one, Blackfish, is an example.

I have a real problem with how folks would not weigh the real world of these same whales in the wild. They committ mass suicide for the love of Mike by beeching themselves all around the world. They abandon members of their pods and refuse to accept them back into the pod. Sea World is more concerned about maintaining their animals then these film makers would care to admit.

_________________I use red, not because of anger but to define my posts to catch rebuttals latter and it makes the quote feature redundent for me. The rest of you pick your own color.

We know and that is why folks are decrying the prison of these animals. Bath tubs instead of an ocean? Wild is wild. Captured is captured, no matter how 'educational' the reasons are.

[b] When you deal directly with wild animals in captivity, bad sh!+ happens eventually, and these aren't vipers that will simply nip your hand.[/b]You assume that so you would like us all to assume that .... as fact? Wild animals in captivity may be dangerous. Might I suggest not holding wild or exotic animals?

"If a couple of whales in captivity tugs at your heartstrings, you should learn what real habitat destruction will do. Putting them back where you think they belong won't make a hill of beans difference and could, in all likelihood, be dangerous for the whales themselves. No need to be stupid about it.

I love your first sentence. You are asking if the natural habitat of the ocean is the same as whales in captivity. But of course you can answer this question. I would much prefer being in my own habitat than being captured for entertainment. Wouldn't you? Would you not prefer a lager space over a smaller one?

It's called empathy. Do you know it? Don't worry if you don't .... it will come.With it comes the answers to all that other stuff that you probably feel is unrelated.It's not this or that, .... its ALL of it.

After a rather lengthy FB commentary with a friend, he suggested that I watch Blackfish and get back with him. I've never been one to go out of my way to "get back" with someone when they can't make a rational argument. I made that abundantly clear, which only seemed to tick them off more. Oh well.

Fast forward to last night. I'm perusing Netflix and lo and behold, Blackfish is avaialble. I couldn't find anything else I liked at the time. The show starts off arguing how morally indefensible it is how we wrangle wild orcas in an effort to get them into water parks. Species A exploits species B for the benefit of A. Okay. That is obviously wrong as we never, ever, witness this happening anywhere else in nature [/sarcasm]. Anyway, this part of the film was relatively short and it jumped on the aquarium bandwagon. There were little bits and pieces of how allegedly inhumane captivity is, but the overarching theme was trainer safety. Several former trainers were presented that acted as if they did not realize (at the time they were trainers) just how dangerous diving into a pool with a wild orca can be. Really? I've been to SeaWorld a couple of times now. The first time I went, I was 5 and I remember thinking the same thing I do when I go to a circus--these folks are brave no matter how conditioned the animals may be. It is a risk I would never personally take nor would I encourage it of others. I was struck at the naivety of those presented in the show. One is led the whole while to think there is some sort of SeaWorld conspiracy. I wasn't impressed.